William Henry "Bill" Kreutz SJ (born August 16, 1935) is an American and Filipino Jesuit priest who served as the longest-serving president of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University. He succeeded the first president, Fr. Ernesto Carretero, S.J., in 1989 and served as university president until 2007.
Bill Kreutz | |
|---|---|
| 2nd President of Ateneo de Zamboanga University | |
| In office 1989–2007 | |
| Preceded by | Ernesto Carretero |
| Succeeded by | Tony Moreno |
| Personal | |
| Born | August 16, 1935 |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Alma mater | Fordham University |
| Organization | |
| Order | Jesuits |
| Senior posting | |
| Ordination | 1969 |
Kreutz served as the second Ateneo president for 18 years. His term was extended due to the pending application for Ateneo to become a university.[1] He planned on ending his term in 2004, but it was extended until 2007 when Fr. Tony Moreno, S.J. took over as president.
Early life and education
editKreutz was born on August 16, 1935, in Howard Beach, Queens, New York City, New York. He studied at Fordham University during his high school and college years.[2]
As a Jesuit
editKreutz joined the Society of Jesus on August 14, 1958, after he graduated from college. He volunteered as a missionary to the Philippines in 1963, teaching at the Ateneo de Manila High School until 1965. He pursued his theology courses at the Loyola House of Studies and was later ordained priest in 1969. He was a mathematics teacher at the Ateneo de Manila College as well as the university chaplain from 1972 to 1980, and during this time, he obtained his Filipino citizenship in the late 1970s.[2]
He served as the director of the Admissions and Aid of the AdMU College of Arts and Sciences from 1980 to 1989, wherein he often provided full scholarships to a number of students.[2][3] As director, he established the Scholars-for-Scholars Scholarship Fund in 1987, aiding students through the assistance of alumni scholars. His initiatives led to the formation of the Ateneo Alumni Scholars Association (AASA).[4]
Jesuit Volunteers Philippines
editKreutz founded the Jesuit Volunteers Philippines Foundation, Inc. (JVP) in 1980. The JVP was formed with the mission of assisting underserved communities in rural areas of the Philippines. Its members are composed of new college graduates and young professionals.[2][5][6] It is the longest-running domestic-volunteer-sending program in the country.[7]
Ateneo de Zamboanga
edit
Kreutz was elected as the 2nd president of Ateneo de Zamboanga in 1989. Under Kreutz, the Ateneo campus experienced a building boom with the construction of Xavier Hall, the multi-purpose covered court, and the construction of a new campus in Barangay Tumaga named after him. Along with the past efforts of Fr. Ernesto Carretero, the previous university president, his efforts contributed to Ateneo de Zamboanga being granted university status by the Commission on Higher Education on August 20, 2001.[2][8]
In 1990, he established the Zamboanga Medical School Foundation Inc. (ZMSF), a non-stock, non-profit corporation affiliated with AdeZ, addressing the need for a medical school in the region. After Ateneo obtained university status, ZMSF was absorbed by the university and later became the AdZU School of Medicine.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Carreon, Frenci L. (2001-10-08). "Ateneo: A privileged university". Zamboanga Today. Vol. III, no. 1. pp. 6, 15.
- ^ a b c d e La Viña, Antonio G. M. (2020-08-24). "RIVERMAN'S VISTA: Fr. Bill, Mindanao, and the Jesuit volunteers". MindaNews. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ Caluag, Tito (2012-01-22). "Why we need to believe in fundamental goodness". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Vol. 27, no. 45. p. E4.
- ^ "SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS | Ateneo". giving.ateneo.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ Padua, Reinir (2008-03-30). "Jesuit volunteers sow seeds of change". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ Abunda, Boy (2008-08-06). "The art of giving". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ Hipolito, Nikki A. (2009-11-29). "Faith, hope, nation building". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Vol. 24, no. 354. p. A20.
- ^ Bautista, Owen (2005-05-13). "Ateneo de Zamboanga University: Excellence... Spirit... Service". Manila Bulletin. pp. F1–F2.